Wednesday, July 20, 2005

dyeing

Twisted Pam asked what dyes i used on these rovings, so i'll do the best i can in describing them. Mostly, i use Lanaset dyes, and a few Pro WashFast. In the reds, pinks etc merino/tencel roving i layed the wet fiber out on plastic wrap, snaked back and forth in about a 2 1/2 foot length. starting with copper (L scarlet, brown and gold),
then L scarlet,
polar red,
scarlet with small amount of either polar red or L magenta,
L magenta with sml amt polar red,
then WF violet
*(L=lanaset and WF=Pro Washfast)
smoosh the dyes in to be sure they go all the way thru, add vinegar, wrap up the plastic wrap and steam (~45 min)

reds

same procedure... this time the dyes were:
olive (add tiniest amount of L brown to lime)
lime ( L yellow = small amt. L green)
L yellow and L gold mixed about 1/2 / 1/2
copper
L brown w/L gold
?L magenta +WF violet (not really sure what this is)
WF turquoise
magenta (same as above)
L yellow w/a few drops of brown
Lyellow + gold

I cant give you any exact formula as i dont keep records. i just add dyes to each other in a plastic cup or a jar and swirl it around ... when it looks right, i pour it on the fiber. let me know if you have any questions... maybe i can answer them :-]


turq, purple etc

3 comments:

Carolyn said...

Oh pretty!! Any tips for dyeing silk, oh wise mentor? I have a friend coming for the next two days for me to tutor in all the lovely stuff you taught us. Only she is bringing some pure silk, and I am trembling at the thought of it. :)

Sandy said...

Carolyn - probably the most helpful hint is to be sure the silk is wetted thru and thru. if it is roving/top, lightly twist it into a loose bundle (so the fibers wont drift out of the roving configuration), fill a pan or bowl with warm H2O and a few drops of Dawn deterg.. gently squeeze the silk to help it get really wet, then let it sit in the water for several hours or over-night... then use the steaming method we used in class. Lanaset and Pro Washfast have worked well for me with silk. have fun and take lots of pics!!

Carolyn said...

Thank you for the great advice!! I knew I had forgotten a lot about what was said about doing silk, and I was right. We will definitely do pictures.